1971 Oil Painting by Frans Vester Pedersen

Frans Vester Pedersen (1934 – 1972) was a Danish painter. Although little is known about him, he is survived by a number of paintings. Even though he died before his fourth decade, he managed to, in a relatively short professional career, establish a strong language of artistic expression in his distinguished and recognisable style.

His pieces usually take landscapes as their subject, depicting fields of different earthy tones shown blurred and from a distance. There is something rustic and traditional about his pastorals – they seem to represent a timeless scene that is undisturbed by modern life. Yet, his style is distinctly modern, even sometimes veering into the abstract. This is particularly true of this piece, which, unlike the majority of Pedersen’s other works, uses both warmer and cooler shades. It doesn’t depict a tranquil landscape, but rather the harsher brushstrokes and broader variety of colours evoke a sense of movement, even chaos. Unlike his other works, there is a depth and energy to the piece that, when placed in dialogue with his other paintings, offer an insight into the changeability of the natural world.